‘Systematic Escalation’: Ukraine Closes Airspace Over Black Sea

Published on: Nov 1, 2018 @ 20:07 – Ukraine will close the airspace over the Black Sea to conduct missile tests in the Ukrainian region of Kherson. This is only one element of a larger strategy, specialist Semyon Uralov claims.

Airspace over the Black Sea will be closed from 1 to 4 November because of missile launch tests, said Ukrainian Air Force representative Dmitry Strutinsky.

Ukraine has performed similar tests previously. On 1 and 2 December 2017, the country launched missiles into Russia’s sovereign airspace over the Black Sea near the Crimea. Kiev declared the airspace over these territories “dangerous for flights.” Subsequently, Ukraine established a new “dangerous” zone on the neutral waters and partly the Russian waters, to the southwest and southeast of the Crimea, without explanation of reasons.

- Advertisement -

Russia pointed out that Kiev did not coordinate such actions with the Russian authorities, demanding immediate revocation of the Ukrainian side’s warnings. However, the Russian entity has stated that flights over the Crimea are not in danger and that airspace over the peninsula will not be closed.

Expert Semyon Uralov commented on the Ukrainian decision to close the airspace.

“The legal issue in relations between Ukraine and Russia is no longer on the agenda, because the legal issue is replaced by the question of rationality and external guarantees. But the US and Europe close their eyes on Ukrainian actions, so speak of right in principle does not make sense,” said Semyon Uralov.

According to the expert, the closure of airspace is part of a “systematic escalation.”

The ball of contradictions is tightening. Just remember the attempts of Kiev to aggravate the situation around the sea of ​​Azov. The specialist considers this step as a way of “checking the reaction to escalate the situation” and “small element of a larger strategy”.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.